Talk To Me
by Travon203
Summary: What if Asher remembered it was Liv's one-year sobriety mark coming up instead of Layla? He tries to help her before and after she relapses. Based on 1x12. Asher/Liv (Disclaimer: I do not own All American or its' characters.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone, I recently started watching All American and I got HOOKED! I really love Asher and Olivia together and I think they make a great couple! Anyways, here is my take on what if Asher was the one who remembered it was Liv's one year sobriety mark and tries to tallk her down. However it doesn't work and it relapses. **

**Fair warning, I don't have much experience writing about addiction so any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Olivia stared at the bottle of pills only for a second before she was reminded of everything that costed her her life. Although she barely remembered pieces of what happened that night, it changed her life. Her one-year sobriety mark was coming up tomorrow and all she could think of right now was the urge to pop a pill in her mouth.

Olivia didn't understand what was happening. For months, she'd been to parties, around drugs and alcohol and not once was she tempted. But today felt different. It felt like all of a sudden she was back to her old self from a year ago. She had thought that by talking her sponsor, it would help, but it didn't. She carried around the bottle of pills in her pocket all day, trying to figure out what to do. She knew she should have dumped it as soon as she found it, but she just couldn't. At least not yet...

"Liv?" Asher called out after finding her sitting at the café sitting alone and staring off into space.

She snapped back into awareness, blinking a few times before turning her body towards him. "Asher... hey. What are you doing here?"

Asher took a seat next to her. "Actually, I've been looking for you. Been calling and texting you but you didn't respond."

"Yeah, tough day today... I just needed some time to think."

Asher saw the uneasiness in her eyes and the way she held herself in a defensive position, fidgeting with her ear. "Liv, what's going on? Whatever it is, you know you can tell me, right?"

She nodded as there was an awkward silence hanging over them. She was about to tell him about the bottle when he pulled out a Wonder Woman pin from his pocket.

"The reason I was looking for you was because I wanted to give you this. I know you loved the remake and I thought it would be great way to symbolize your one-year sobriety mark." He looked into her eyes before continuing on. "I am so proud of you and how hard you fought for this..." his voice trailed off to a tiny whisper as Liv took the bottle out of her pocket and set it onto the counter.

"I find them this morning in my closet."

Asher stared at the bottle and glanced at her, not knowing exactly how to approach this. "Have you taken any?"

"No, not yet. But today..."

"Talk to me, Liv. What's going on?"

She let out a heavy sigh, "I guess with the one-year sobriety coming up, I feel like I'm so alone that there's no one there with me to celebrate this. You're the only person who even remembered. Not even my family and I get it. This time of year is always bad... My dad and Jordan have playoffs and my mom has her DA campaigns. I don't know, maybe I had too high of expectations of them to just show up and be there for me... "

Asher listened tentatively to her words and reached out to take her hand in his. "Liv, I had no idea you felt this way. You should have told me. You know you can always tell me what's on your mind." He squeezed her hand and gave her a small smile.

"I know." She gave him a small smile back.

"But if you feel this way, you should tell your parents and Jordan."

She immediately shook her head, "No, that will just hurt them."

"But it's hurting you and you can't heal unless you tell them."

She nodded and wiped away the tears that were slowly sliding her face.

"Come here," Asher said, leaning in to hug her. She buried her head into his shoulder, tightly holding him before whispering thank you in his ear. He nodded and whispered back "I'm here for you, no matter what."

* * *

After Asher dropped Liv off at her house, he texted Jordan to keep an eye on Liv. If he couldn't keep an eye on her for the rest of the night, the least he could do was tell Jordan. That way she could have some support that she's been looking for.

Liv took a shower, hoping that it would wash away her temptations. She then sat down on her bed with the bottle in her hands, playing with it and listening to the pills rattling around. She held herself lost in thought until there was a knock on the door.

"Hey Liv," Jordan said, taking a step towards the room.

Liv immediately shoved the bottle under her blanket and hoped Jordan hadn't noticed. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to check up on you. How are you doing?"

Liv raised her eyebrows in suspicion, "Let me guess. Asher?"

"He didn't say much. Just that you had a bad day."

"Yeah. Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Jordan nodded and turned to leave her room right before she stopped him.

"Do you have plans tomorrow night?"

"No... why?"

"Tomorrow my one-year sobriety mark is coming up and I was wondering... you know... if you'd like to come... But you don't have to if you don't want" she said determined not to get her hopes up.

Jordan's face was flushed with embarrassment, forgetting that almost a year ago his sister nearly died. "Liv, I'm so sorry. Every time I think about what happened, I just feel so guilty that I didn't do more to stop you from OD'ing that night. I know I could have done more."

"It wasn't your fault, Jordan. It was all on me, you know. I wanted to be that 'party girl' that had all the attention. There was nothing you could have done."

"But there's something I can do now. Just let me know when and where."

Liv smiled at him and gave him a fist bump before he left her room.

* * *

Liv woke up the next morning feeling worse off than the night before. Today was officially one year since she stopped. She had really thought talking to both Asher and Jordan, somehow it would work. That she would stop feeling this way. She noticed on her phone that there was one message from Asher from last night.

_Asher - You okay?_

_Liv – No..._

She got up from bed and set her phone on her nightstand. She went into the bathroom and saw the bottle she left there last night. She looked in the mirror and took a deep breath before unscrewing the cap and putting a pill in her hand. She broke it in half and put one half in the bottle.

"Just this once," she sighed in relief as she swallowed the other half of the pill.


	2. Chapter 2

Olivia was keeping to herself, practically hiding her head in her locker, making sure no one noticed her. She didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention. She remembered the last time she did that. Anyways, all of this was a one-time thing. Just something to take the edge off. It wasn't like she was going to go into a full relapse. Liv knew better than that.

Asher's voice came in from behind and startled her, "Hey Liv, you still doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Liv said, worried he would notice any subtle changes. She even added a smile.

"You sure? You look a little different. Did something happen?"

"I'm fine, Asher."

"I could take you to an AA meeting later if you want," he insisted.

While she would have usually taken him up on his offer, she was getting frustrated that he didn't believe that she was fine. "I'm fine, Asher. You don't have to worry about me." She slammed her locker door and walked away from him.

* * *

Asher couldn't even begin to describe what just happened. Last night was bad. Like bad bad. Now Liv is complete sunshine and rainbows? Normally, she'd take him up on his offer to an AA meeting even if her cravings were mild. There was only one reason she'd ever react like this.

She was back on whatever she was before...

He didn't want to say anything yet. On the off chance he was wrong, Liv would hate him for not trusting her and that would be the end of them. But he knew he couldn't just let this slide by.

* * *

During lunch, Liv and Layla decided to meet up afterschool at the café to work on a class project. But she decided to go home and take a twenty-minute nap before going to meet up with Layla. She had been feeling tired and nauseated all day and thought a nap would do her some good. When she got home, she crashed on her bed, hoping the side effects would wear off when she'd wake up.

* * *

Layla had checked her phone twice in the last minute, waiting for a message from Liv. It had been over an hour and she still hadn't received anything! She tried calling and texting, but nothing. No response at all.

"Ughhh," she grumbled, slamming her phone on the table.

Asher had walked in the café to pick up some food at the register when he looked over to find Layla sitting alone. He paid for the food and walked over to her. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Layla looked up at Asher and shrugged, "Liv was supposed to meet me here an hour ago but I guess she ghosted me."

"I'm sure she wouldn't do that without a reason."

Layla scoffed, "Yeah, right. Well I've been calling and texting her but she hasn't been responding."

Asher nodded, "Huh." There was a silent pause before he said he had to go home and said goodbye to her.

* * *

Liv woke up from her nap and looked out the window to see it was pitch black. "Oh shit," she said. She checked her phone and saw the multiple messages from Layla varying from concern to full-blown anger. She sat up and immediately texted Layla, apologizing for not coming and leaving her to do all the work. "Great," she said sarcastically as she flopped on her bed. Then she heard Jordan call her name from downstairs.

"Liv, there's someone here to see you. Liv!"

"I'm coming," she shouted back, silently cursing whoever wanted to see her at this time.

She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen and saw the 5'8 athlete who was conversing Jordan with his back to her.

"Asher," she called out.

He turned around. "Hey Liv."

She took two steps toward him. "What are you doing here?"

Asher tilted his head towards the dining area, far from any prying eyes and ears. She nodded and they walked towards the back.

"So what's up?" she asked.

"I just wanted to check up on you. I saw Layla after school at the café and she looked _pissed_," he said, emphasizing on that last point.

"I'm fine. I was feeling tired and wanted to take a quick nap before meeting up with her. But I guess I slept through the alarm." He didn't need to know why she was feeling tired, she thought. A lie of omission was better than a full lie.

"Look, about this morning..."

"Don't even worry about it. I know you were just trying to help me and I'm sorry that I took out my frustrations on you."

"I'm sorry too. Know that I will always be that one person you can count on. For whatever you need."

Liv smiled at him and the fact that his words meant more to her than anything else. "Thanks Asher."

"Anyways I gotta get going. Make sure my dad's doing alright."

She walked him to his door and said her goodbyes before shutting the door. She sprinted up the stairs and went inside the bathroom. She found the other half of the pill she had taken this morning and held it in her hand. Of course she knew the consequences of taking it but for once, everything seemed so much easier. As if all that pressure that was on her could now be taken off by one simple act. As much as she loved Asher, she knew talking it out with him would not fully solve everything. She looked in the mirror and found herself asking, "So what the hell do I do now?"

* * *

**A/N: What did you guys think? Will Liv take that pill again? I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter. Again, if you have any ****suggestions/advice to better my writing of Liv's relapse, please do send me a message. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hey everyone, sorry for such a late post. I've been kinda busy and tired and also running out of motivation for this story. But like I've said before, if you guys have any ideas/tips to make this story, feel free to PM me! Anyways thank you for reading this and I really hope yall enjoy it!

* * *

Within two weeks, Liv was back to where she was a year ago, slightly increasing the amount of oxycodone she was taking per day. She was probably in denial herself, assuming that she had only fell of the wagon temporarily. That there was nothing to worry about.

Liv came to school wearing a party dress that was so short everyone else wondered where the rest of the outfit was. She saw JJ walking down the hall and shouted, "JJ, party tonite. Your house, 7PM! Whooooo!"

JJ was surprised for a second but went with it anyways. He had already pulled out his phone and started texting everyone he knew, which was, in his case, A LOT. "Already done!" he said continuing to high-five the rest of his friends.

Liv was getting her stuff out of her locker when Asher showed up, snapping at her. "Liv, what are you wearing?" He took off his jacket and put it around her, looking around to see if anyone was watching them.

"Asher, you have got to learn how to chill out," she said, lightly tapping his cheek. "It's for tonight."

He shook his head, "What's tonight?"

"Party at JJ's house. You should already be getting the e-vites."

Asher's phone buzzed and he reached in his pockets and saw JJ's message. "Alright Liv, what's going on? What are you on right now?"

"Nothing. I'm fine. I'm just trying to have a little fun here."

"Olivia, you are not fine. Look at yourself. This isn't you."

"Yes, it is. For once, would you stop worrying about me? Instead you should be worrying about how you're gonna lose state championships. Especially since the rest of the team has to carry you..."

"Excuse me?" Asher said, trying really hard to swallow his frustration and hurt. He knew this wasn't the real her, but couldn't help feeling angry at the same time.

"Yeah, Jordan told me about it. Looks like you're wasting your time with me."

* * *

Asher spent the rest of the day, shoving down his resentment of the team. There's no way they would say that. He considered them his brothers, his family. Luckily he had football to work out all that anger. He started pushing himself harder then anyone else and calling out anyone who fumbled their ball or overthrew it.

Jordan came up to him while he took a break, "Hey, what's up with you? You're like way more energized today..."

"Well I guess I'm just trying not to let the team down," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

"What do you mean? Who said you were letting the team down?" Jordan furrowed his brows.

"You did."

"Wait, what? Asher, what the hell are you talking about?"

Asher scoffed, "Really, man? I thought we were friends. Brothers, even. People who have each other's backs."

"We are."

"Then why would you say that I'm dead weight? That the team has to carry me? And most of all, why would you say this to Liv?" Asher lashed out laying his hands on Jordan.

Jordan sighed heavily, regretting telling Liv. "Oh my god, Asher. This was a conversation from weeks ago. Look, I told her this when you were back on the team again and you hadn't shown up to a couple practices and you were a little bit behind. We were just worried because we had that game against Liberty High the next day. That's all I said."

Asher stood frozen, his face reddened with anger and embarrassment. He pressed his hand against his face. "God, I'm sorry man. I guess Liv got it in my head that the team was having second thoughts about me. Especially after I gave Malibu our playbook. We cool?"

Jordan nodded and gave him a fist bump. "Speaking of which, why did she tell you?"

Asher shook his head. "I don't know, man. Have you noticed anything different about her?"

"Not really. Things have kind of been crazy at my house with the state championships and all. We haven't had a family dinner in weeks because of that and my mom's campaign."

"Yeah, she's probably stressed out," he nodded, not wanting to worry Jordan yet.

* * *

The party started earlier than expected, with JJ bringing out the kegs and other essential party supplies. Liv walked in, wearing a one-strapped navy-blue dress that tugged at her waist and wrapped around her torso.

"Hey Liv, we're gonna start 'hide and go get it'!" JJ shouted drunkenly across the room.

She smiled and nodded, "Let's get it started."

Everyone gathered around JJ in the living room. "Alright people, the rules are simple. Guys can hide anywhere in the house. Girls you have to go find us. Ready, set go!"

The boys all scrambled, running around trying to find a good, making-out spot. Liv took the bottle of tequila laying on the counter with her as she roamed around the kitchen. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't feel like running around to have a quickie with one of the boys. Especially if the guy she was expecting wasn't even here.

She waited until everybody cleared out of the living room so she could sit down and enjoy her bottle of tequila by herself. Once she didn't hear or see anybody coming down the halls, she unscrewed the cap and was about to take a big gulp when she heard someone call her name. She turned her head to see Asher standing in the middle of the hallway.

"What the hell are you doing?" Asher said, walking towards her to snatch the bottle away from her.

Liv moved the bottle away from his reach, "Nothing. Why don't you go have some fun? They're playing 'hide and go get it'."

"No, I'm gonna stay here with you until you give me that bottle."

"No, Asher. Just give me a break, will you?"

"How long has this been going on?"

"What's the big deal? So what if I relapsed? It's just a minor episode," she tried to reasoned with him.

"_What's the big deal?_ Are you kidding me? The big deal is that you could OD again. Do you know how serious is that? God, Liv. Didn't you learn anything the first time around?"

"What I learned is that everybody needs to mind their own business. Just leave me alone."

Asher groaned and then sat down on the coffee table, plastered with red party cups. He took a deep breath in and rubbed his face before trying to calmly talking her down. "Liv, we care about you. Your parents care about you. Jordan cares about you. _I_ care about you."

"I don't need you guys to care. I just need you to let me be." Liv tried to take another swig of the bottle but Asher managed to snatch it from her hands. "Asher, give it back."

"This is for your own good. Now I'm gonna drive you home and you're gonna take a shower and go to bed and we'll forget this ever happened."

"I'm not going."

"Liv, come on."

"NO, Asher."

"If you don't, I'll call your parents right now. It's either gonna be me or them."

"You're bluffing."

"Alright, bet." He pulled his phone out and clicked on Coach Baker's contact info. "It's ringing."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Coach Baker?" Asher said. "I've got some - "

"Fine," Liv caved in. "Just hang up the phone."

Asher smiled and hanged up and slid his phone back into his pocket.

"Let's go."

* * *

Liv grabbed her keys from her handbag while Asher stood behind her. They walked inside the house and he followed her up the stairs and into her bedroom.

"Give me whatever else you're on," he said, looking around her room.

"I don't have anything else."

"Liv, I know you're lying. Just give me the bottle or I'll call your parents out right here right now."

"Fine," Liv said, walking into the bathroom and grabbing the bottle that she hid in the cabinet. "Here," she handed it to him. He still stood there waiting. "What?"

"What else? I know there's more."

"Asher, there's nothing left."

He continued to stand there until she gave in and walked to where her dressers were. She opened one of the drawers and pulled out a bag of goodies. "That's all I have left. I swear."

He eyed at her suspiciously "Alright, fine. Now go take a shower and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow." He left her room and walked down the stairs, thinking about how he was going to wean her by himself. He ran into Mrs. Baker as she was heading towards the stairs.

"Hey Mrs. Baker."

"Asher, hey. Were you just coming from Liv's room?" she asked giving him doubtful look.

"Yes.. But it's not what you think." In a moment of what he thought was of love for Liv, he wanted to do something that he knew he couldn't by himself. "Do you have some time to talk about Liv?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: Sorry for a month-long wait but I've been busy with school and also losing motivation over this story. But I'm back on and I promise to keep myself accountable with this story. If you have any ideas or input about this story, please do send me a PM. Thanks!

* * *

Liv woke up with a pounding headache, her knees wobbling as she stood against her bed. She put one hand on her forehead and took a deep breath in. Memories of last night came flooding in as she remembered Asher bringing her home and taking away her pills. She sighed deeply; she didn't need anyone else telling how she was a making a mistake. It wasn't as if she didn't already know that. She decided to go downstairs to grab a glass of water. On her way down, she heard her parents talking in the kitchen. They saw her walking in.

"Morning, honey. How you feeling?" her mom said.

"Yeah, do you need anything?" her dad chimed in.

Liv's brow furrowed and wondered what was with them this morning. "I'm fine. What's going on?"

"Nothing, we just wanted to see how you were doing. I noticed Asher dropped you off last night," Laura replied.

"Yeah, we saw a movie but I was feeling pretty tired..." Liv said, watching their responses.

Billy nodded his head, "Well me and your mom decided that we wanted to spend today together as a family. All four of us. Anything you want to do."

"Within reason, of course," Laura added.

Liv took a second to think about any upcoming events they could go. "What about the local fair they're hosting this year? I heard they're bringing back that special popcorn you love, Dad. And Mom, they have those antique pieces you like."

"Alright, I'm going to finish prepping for a case and we can leave in an hour. Why don't you go tell Jordan and let him know?" Laura said, looking at her watch.

"Okay!" Liv said excitedly, running up the stairs.

As soon as she left, Laura turned back to face Billy. "Are we sure this is going to work? I hate doing this to our daughter..."

"I know but it's better we know now. There will not be a repeat episode of last year. I promise you that."

* * *

The Bakers walked through the entrance of the fair. Liv's face held the excitement that a typical six year old had when she was faced with fun lights and multiple booths stationed next to each other.

"So what should we do first?" Liv asked. "Ring toss? Popcorn? Antiques?"

"Let's go grab some food," Billy said. "I could go for a hotdog right about now."

Everyone agreed and Liv walked next to Jordan, following behind their parents.

"Could you just put down your phone for one second? It's family time," she said.

Jordan swatted her hands from his phone. "Chill, Liv. We're just hanging at the fair."

"I know. But how rare is it that we get both Mom and Dad together? We haven't been all together since Dad told us about the affair."

"True. Speaking of which, how are you and Asher?"

"How did we get from Mom and Dad to Asher?"

"You're avoiding the question."

"No...," she said, looking down at the ground as they continued strolling. After a pause she continued, "Did he say something?"

"No, but I did when he started asking me about something I told you in confidence," Jordan stopped his tracks. "Liv, why did you tell him that he wasn't doing more for the team?"

"I'm sorry, Jordan. But he was getting on my nerves and I just needed him to back off. I didn't mean to blurt it out but it just came out. Honestly, I don't even remember saying all that..."

He tilted his head and gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean you don't remember saying it?" Then a sudden realization hit him. "Liv, don't tell me you are on something. What did you take?"

"Nothing!" she said too quickly. "God Jordan, you're my brother. You're supposed to believe in me."

"I'm sorry but after last time, I'm not taking any chances."

"I appreciate the brotherly love but I promise you I'm not taking anything."

"Alright. Besides you know what Mom and Dad would do if you ever relapsed."

* * *

Liv nodded, knowing the level of disappointment she'd face from her parents. But she also couldn't help this urge she felt to take something, whether it'd be alcohol or opioids. This façade she put up would only work for a few more hours before her cravings got more intensified. While family day was something she genuinely cared about, it wasn't enough for her. She wanted more. She needed more.

The Baker family came home by 7pm, spending much longer than any of them expected at the fair. It's been awhile since they were all together and Liv appreciated it more than she could express. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since she had taken anything. But she welcomed any distraction that the day provided. She was glad to see her parents not bicker for once even though she knew her mom was still hurting. They all sat around the kitchen island, snacking on the two bags of kettle corn they bought at the fair. "Guys, I'm really glad we were all together today. I really needed it," Liv solemnly said.

"Us too, sweetheart," Billy said.

The doorbell then rang. Liv and Jordan traded looks as to who could be at their door at this time before her brother walked down the hall to greet whoever was here.

"Hey Asher, what's up?" she overhead Jordan say. She looked up at the sound of Asher's voice. The boys came down the hall, with a box of pizza in Asher's hand.

"Asher, what are you doing here? It's late." she said.

Laura stepped in, deciding that this was a good segue moment into the topic, "Honey, we're all here here because we love you and we want what's best for you."

"Wait, what's going on?" Jordan said out of all the confusion. "Liv?"

Liv sighed. "I'm sorry, Jordan."

He had a deja-vu moment before realizing why all of this felt familiar. It's because they had done this last year. "Liv, you lied to me! You looked me in the eye and swore that you were not taking anything!" Jordan shouted angrily.

"I know, I know," Liv said, tears welling up.

"Jordan, we're not here to make Liv feel more worse than she already does," Billy interjected. "Now that we all know, we can help her."

Jordan turned around to face Asher, "You knew too? And you didn't say anything?"

"I did say something. How do you think your parents know?" Asher blurted out at the implication that he knew and didn't do anything about it.

Liv stared directly into Asher's eyes, "You told them?"

"I'm sorry, Liv. You needed help and I knew I wasn't enough. Not enough to get you completely sober."

"Asher was just trying to help. But _now_ we can nip this in the bud and get you the best help," Billy said. He reached into his coat pocket and took out a few pamphlets. "And if you're worried about school, we can do an outpatient treatment this time."

"_We_ are not a part of this. It's just me. And I'm telling you what I told Asher. I'm fine. It was one slip-up. It won't happen again," Liv said walking away from them. As she walked by Asher on her way to the stairs, she cleared her throat and declared, "We are done."

Asher's face fell from her words, clearly hurt by what she had said. He knew what his actions would do. But he stood by it as he lost the one person he truly ever loved.

* * *

**A/N**: I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Also if you watched the finale episode, you could clearly tell I predicted what was gonna happen with Liv haha :)


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